Corn-cutting machine.



No. 818,650. PATENTED APRa 24, 1906.

C. A. YOUNG.

CORN CUTTING MACHINE. APIfLIGATION FILED 110V. 30. 1904.

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. Httomegs PATENTED APR. 24, 1906.

0. A. YOUNG.

001m CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses Attorness CHARLES A. YOUNG, OF ELVIRA, IOWA.

CORN-CUTTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

'iz'atentea April 24, 1906.

Application filed November 30,1904. Serial No. 234,955.

To It whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. YOUNG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elvira, in the county of Clinton and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Corn- Cutting Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for cutting and shredding corn, especially what is known as snapped corn, to the ears of which the husks still adhere.

The object of the invention is to simplify and to improve the construction of this class of machines; and with this and other ends in view, which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of embodiment of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is neces sarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that the right is re served to any changes, alterations, and modifications to which recourse may be had within the scope of the invention and without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the efficiency of the same.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a machine constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention, parts having been broken away for the purpose of exposing the subjacent construction. Fig. 2 is a side elevation with parts broken away. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the machine as seen from the opposite side. Fig. 4. is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 1 '-1 in Fig. 3.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated by like characters of reference.

Upon the longitudinal top beams 1 1 of a suitably constructed frame are mounted boxes 2 2 and 3 3, affording bearings for a pair of shafts I and 5. The shaft 4 carries at one end a band-wheel 6, adapted to be driven by means of a belt or band from a suitable source of power. The opposite end of the shaft 4 carries a smaller band-wheel or pulley 7, connected by a bolt 8 with a bandwheel 9 upon a shaft 10, which is mounted in suitable bearings upon a pair of longitudinal braces 11, connecting the legs or supports 12 of the frame. The braces 11 support an additional shaft 13, carrying a spur-wheel 14, which meshes with a pinion 15 upon the shaft 10.

Suitably supported in, an inclined position in the frame of the machine is an elevator trough or casing 16, which may be of any desired length. In this casing is mounted an endless carrier, which has been shown as being constructed of a pair of chains 17, connected by means of transverse slats 18, the upper lead of said carrier moving upon the bottom 19 of the trough or casing. The carrier-chains are in engagement with sprocketwheels 20 upon a pair of shafts 21 and 22, the former of which is supported in suitable bearings at the outer end of the trough or casing 16, while the shaft 22 is mounted for rotation in bearings 23 upon the longitudinal braces 11 of the frame.

The shafts 5, 13, and 22 are each provided with a sprocket-wheel, designated, respectively, 24, 25, and 26, said sprocket-wheels being connected by a chain 27, whereby the said several shafts are driven, motion being initially transmitted to the shaft 13 from the shaft -11 by the means herein described.

Pivotally connected with one side of the frame is a lever 28, carrying a belt-tightening pulley 29, engaging the belt or band 8. The lever28is also provided with a spring-actuated catch 30, engaging a raclesegment 31, suitably connected with the frame, and which serves to retain the belt-tightening lever in any position to which it may be adusted.

Suitably supported upon the longitudinal top beams of the frame is a hopper, which is composed of side pieces 32 32, between which are mounted the inclined front and rear feedboards 33 and 34. These feed-boards are disposed approximately at right angles to each other, and are both extended from near the upper edge of the hopper in the direction of the axis of the shaft 5, as will be seen very clearly by reference to Fig. 2 or the drawings. The shaft 4, which is disposed in rear of the shaft 5, may be regarded as disposed underneath the rear feed-board 34.

The shaft 5 carries a l'lutcd feed-roller 35, the periphery of which is closely adjacent to the lower edge of the front feed-board 33. The periphery of said feed-roller is suitably spaced from the lower edge of the feed-board 34, the space or owning 36 between said feed-roller and feed-board constituting the discharge-opening through which the cars of corn that are to be operated upon are per- ITO mitted to pass from the hopper into engagement with the knives or cutters which are mounted upon the shaft 4. Said knives or cutters, which are designated 37, are in the nature of disks, suitably spaced and mounted upon the shaft 4 between the sides of the hopper, said disks being rovided with large teeth or cutters 38, disposed along their edges.

The parts are so constructed and arranged that the points of the teeth or cutters 38 will ractically reach to the lower edge of the feec -board 34, and also to the periphery of the feed-roller 24, the feed slit or aperture 36 between the feed-board and the feedroller being completely obstructed by the cutters. The teeth 38 may be compared with the teeth of a circular saw, said teeth being, however, very large, the length of each tooth exceeding the width of the feedaperture 36. The teeth of the several cutters or disks 37 are disposed in exact alinement with each other, the backs of the teeth being long and beveled or sloping, while the front edges or cutting edges while curved, as shown, may be described as being approximately radial to the shaft 4 carrying the cutters. The teeth are of such length that their points will almost engage the periphery of the feed-roller and the edge of the feed-board, which is spaced from the latter, thus causing the exit slit or aperture of the hopper to be completely obstructed by the cutters. The opening or slit 36 is obviously wide enough to admit of the passage of the largest ears of corn unhusked, and the ears, passing through the slit, will engage the backs of the teeth 38 and will be held between the backs of the teeth and the feed-roller 24 while being cut or chopped by the advancing cutting edges of succeeding teeth. Side guards 39 and a top guard 40 are provided which connect the hopper with the elevator-casing, so as to di rect the cut material onto the carrier, said guards forming a discharge-chute and also a housing for the cutters.

It will be readily seen that the cutter-carrying shaft 4, which receives the initial motion from the source of power, is driven at a relatively high rate of speed, while the endless carrier and the feed-roller-carrying shaft, to which motion is transmitted from the cutter-carrying shaft, will be driven at a relatively low rate of speed, which may be regulated by the relative sizes of the spur-wheel 14 and pinion 15, as well as by the relative sizes of the sprocket-wheels 24, 25, and 26.

In the operation of the machine the snapped corn may be shoveled into the hopper, the discharge-opening 36 of which is of a width suflicient to admit of the passage of the largest ears. The action of the feedroller will tend to straighten the ears, so as to present the ears edgewise to the cutters, whereby they will be cut and shredded to the desired dimensions, which is obviously regulated by the distance between the cutters upon the shaft 4. It is obvious that if an ear should pass lengthwise through the space 36 the action of the cutters upon such ear would be more in the nature of shredding; but in any case the cobs and husks will be subdivided and comminuted to the necessary degree to render the product suitable for feeding purposes. The machine will operate with equal efiiciency upon corn which has become dry and hard and upon corn which is not sufficiently dry to shell.

The advantages of feeding cut or shredded corn with which the cobs and husks are included, so as to form a balanced ration, are well known to stock-feeders. By this invention a machine is provided which is simple in construction, inexpensive, and effective in its operation, and whereby corn may be expeditiously and with a great saving of labor prepared for feeding purposes.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is In a machine of the class described, a hopper having feed-boards inclined toward each other and spaced apart, a fluted or corrugated feed-roller supported for rotation adjacent to the lower edge of one feed-board and spaced from the other feed-board to form a slit or aperture sufficiently wide for the passage of ears of corn, a shaft su ported for rotation outside the hop er at a istance from the exit-aperture of t e latter, spaced cutters upon said shaft having teeth of a length exceeding the width of the exit-aperture said teeth having sloping back edges, approximately radial front or cutting edges, and points that terminate within a short distance of the eriphery of the feed-roller and the lower e ge of the feed-board spaced from the latter; and means for rotating the feed-roller and the cutter-carrying shaft in opposite directions, the former slowly and the latter more rapidly.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHAS. A. YOUNG.

Witnesses:

AsH K. EATON, ROLAND HALL. 

